West Lafayette man arrested on meth charges

Christopher Allen told West Lafayette police he was checking his mail at 3 a.m. Tuesday, which officers thought was odd, according to police.

It’s not against the law to check one’s mail in the wee hours of the morning. But it was a series of odd events that eventually led to Allen’s arrest on allegations of conspiring to make methamphetamine, possession of precursors to make methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine and possession of a drug syringe.

Police noticed Allen, 27, strolling around the apartment complex in the 2500 block of Soldiers Home Road. They became a more suspicious when a car pulled up and stopped. The driver and Allen talked but the driver never got out of the car and then left the complex after the conversation, according to police.

When officers spoke with Allen, he appeared to be impaired, police said, adding that these events sparked their curiosity.

While one officer waited with Allen, another officer went to his mother’s apartment, where Allen was staying. She allowed officers to do a preliminary search, where they noticed items associated with methamphetamine, police said. At that point, the officer left the apartment and got a search warrant for a more thorough search.

Allen was taken to Tippecanoe County Jail, where he remained Wednesday morning, police said.